Phew, 2016! 2015 wrapped up into a very fine year for me. It was the first year where I can proudly say I was making it as a bona fide full-time living artist, a big feat for a professional fruit & veg doodler. But the biggest news of 2015 was that I nailed my first US book deal with Rizzoli New York. But I promise to share the process and all the juicy details very soon…
Fast forward to 2016, and said book will be released March 15th, 2016, Edible Paradise: A Coloring Book of Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables (Rizzoli’s Universe Imprint). Coloring books found a bit of a renaissance in 2015, promising to re spark everyday creativity and hit the overloaded mind’s refresh button. But Edible Paradise is more than just your kid’s chicken-scratched Frozen activity book. It sets its readers of all ages on an enchanted journey, discovering the seasonal delicacies and creatures found in forests, fields, gardens, and urban farmer’s markets all in richly detailed freehand drawings. But in the humble opinion of its creator, the true beauty of the book lies in the hands of whoever colors it in.
You may be asking yourself, “I still can’t even write ‘2016’. Why should I preorder a book that comes out in March?” The truth is, although I would love that you picked it up at your local mom & pop bookshop, in the current Amazon economy, the success of book sales are dependent on preorders. Ever wonder how a new release is already a New York Times Bestseller the day it comes out? Preordering largely determines that. Ordering now not only promises you can attack it with your colored pencils ASAP, but it gives my editor a little vote of confidence. It also increases the chances I can publish more passion projects like this one in the future. Preorder here.
In any case, I wish you joy and balance in 2015! And thanks for your support in making this another Technicolor New Year!
–jkw